Sealing device



March 1o, 1942. T, MYERS 2,275,680

SEALING DEVICE Filed May 2, 1938 Thomas G Myers BYZKA/g/,m/ Y ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1o, 1942 saALvlNG DEVICE Thomas G. Myers, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to U. S. Electrical Motors, Inc., `Los Angeles, Caiii'.,'a corporation of California Application May z, ms, seriaiNo. 205,583

' (ci. zas-s) 1 Claim.

Thisinvention relates to a. seal, such as for example maybe used to exclude entry of well liquid into a submerged casing.

Seals intended to accomplish this result have been proposed in the past, especially for excluding well liquid from submersible electric motors, intended for' supplying motive power to a pump. The windings and electrical connections of the motor mustbe protected against the ingress of this well liquid, which is usually water carrying large amounts of foreign matter and grit in suspension, as well as other impurities.

The motor for this purpose is arranged in a ud tight casing. It is a relatively simplematter to` render such a .casing fluid tight except for the region where the motor shaft extends out of the casing. Ordinary packing glands are hopelessly inefficient, for gritty foreign matter usually rapidly wears away the sealing elements and the shaft.

The seal in the present instance includes the provision of a'pair of relatively rotary metallic members contacting along .a surface that surrounds the shaft. When suiiicientpressure is applied for effective sealing between the surfaces, the attendant friction causes excessive wear, and often this wear is of such character lthat the efficacy of the seal is greatly reduced.

In spite of precautions, there isusually a small 4embodiment of the invention in use in a well,

and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail section of the upper portion of Fig. 1.

Referringto Figs. 1 and 2, a well casing I is illustrated, which is shown as filled with well vliquid 2, such as Water or the like. Within this well liquid@ there is submerged a casing structure |3|, for housing an electric motor |30. This electric motor is shown in this instance as having the primary windings 4 mounted in stator laminations 5 appropriately supported in the casing 3. The motor also includes a squirrel cage rotor 6 mounted upon a rotary shaft |34. This shaft |34 is shown in this instance as .having an extension projecting upwardly out of the casing for direct connection to a. pump (not shown) In the present form the shaft |34 is shown as radially supported adjacent the upper end of .the rotor by the aid of the ball bearing structure 9. The inner race I0 of this structure is attached to a reduced portion of Vshaft |34. The outer race 4|| is shown as supported in a central boss I2 formed in a spider |3. This spider I3 is shown attached, as by a plurality of bolts I4, to a flange I5 extending inwardly of the amount of water which enters around the seal, Y

but this leakageican be easily held to a very small amount. If such leakage as occurs is prevented from contacting the working parts of the motor, long service can `be assured. It is an object of this invention to provide means for returning any well liquid which may enter the motor casing around the seal to the well without its reaching the motor bearings or windings.v

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more easily apparent from a consideration of several embodimentsof the invention. For this purpose there are shown a few forms. inthe drawing accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustrating the general prin- Adjacent the lower end of the shaft 'the ball bearing structure I6 is provided. The inner race Il of ball bearing I6 is fastened to a reduced portion of the shaft |34. The outer race I8 of the bearing I6 is supported in the central boss I9 of spider 20, and rests upon a shoulderA formed therein. This spider 20 is shown in this instance as formed integrally with a hollow member |32 threaded into the lower end of the casing |3| and forming a fluid tight joint therewith.

The top of the casing |3I is shown as provided with the cover |36, fastened fluid tight to the upper edge of the casing |3|, This cover member |36 has a large clearance aperture 23 through which the shaft |34 extends upwardly.

suitable light, neutral, lubricating liquid is supplied to the casing from a source (not shown) I at the top of the well by means of pipe |33. The motor shaft |34 extends upwardly, out of casing |3|, a sealing arrangement |35 being f provided to prevent entry of the Well liquid to the casing |3| at the place where the shaft passes through the top closure member '|36 of l the casing. The seal comprises an inverted cup |31 secured to the shaft as by a set screw |38 and having its lower annular vface |39' running in contactwiththe upper face of non-rotary ring |49.

This ring is preferably of some porous, wear resisting'material, resiliently supported on head |36 by a Sylphon or metal bellows |4|. Since the pressure of the oil filling in the casing is no greater than the pressure of the well'liquid outside, it may b e desirable to provide oil under greater pressure to ring |48, which can be readily done by any appropriate means.

' such as machining or lapping, on the porous Experiments have shown that with a seal ar-Y j rangement such as the one under, consideration, it is relatively easy to maintain the leakageof well liquid past the seal to a minute amount, of the order of .003 pint per 24 hours of motor operation. However, i1 even this small quantity isl allowed to reach the motor windings, trouble will soon be experienced. Accordingly,` means are providedto pass such leakage around the motor to the bottom of the casing.

A tube or sleeve |42 is placed about shaft |34 within the seal |35. The upper end |43 ofthe sleeve is spaced above the joint |39 of the seal,

. while the lower end of the sleeve has-a flange' |44 by which the sleeve is supported on head |36. By this means an annular chamber or well |45 is formed surroundingshaft'l34 in which Y any liquid leaking in past seal |35 will collect.

A pan |48 having a central hanged aperture |41 for shaft |34 is supported in any convenient manner at the topof casing |3| just below head |36. Since the well liquid is' heavier than the liquid filling the casing, any of the former which iinds its way into well |45 will settle to the bottom thereof and pass through openings M8 into pan metal seal rings, have the effect of burring over the surface and 'closing the pores so that the porosity and lubricating qualities are impaired. Accordingly, after such operationsincident to obtaining a suitable surface, it is necessary to open the pores again. Thus, upon completion of the machining or lapping. the part is dipped in or otherwise subjected to an acid, such as dilute nitric acid. This eats off the parts which were burred over the pores but still leaves the surface true, and has the further advantage of loosening any small particles of lapping compound vwhich might be in the surface, permitting them to fall out. l

What is claimed is:

In a device of the charatcer described, a .casing v' adapted to be submerged in well liquid, said casing being closed at its upper end and open to the well liquidI at its lower end, a shaft extending upwardly out of the casing, said casing :and shaft to the Well through said lbeing' relatively rotatable, sealingimeans between said shaft and casing, comprising a pair of con-V tacting members respectively associated with the shaft and the casing, means forming an annular chamber about said shaft adapted to trap the leakage of well liquid past said seal, and means to return said leakage from the chamber directly openend.

TH'OMAS G. MYERS.' 

